Drug addicts lie and steal from their families, lose jobs, and do not live stable lives. Abuse of Prescription medication and marijuana is among one of the greatest concerns in the United States, especially in young people because drugs are causing issues between families, money, etc. Addicts find ways to create different drugs. This is making drug abuse difficult to control and ultimately change. In addition, addiction is not only a physical dependence, but also mental. Drug abuse has various causes, effects, and treatments. Based on the pamphlet, “Another Look,” published by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc., states “If we can find greater agreement on what addiction is not, then perhaps what it is may appear with greater clarity” (3). If people can see drug addiction for what it really is, a sickness, then an addict’s family and friends would better understand that addicts do not choose to become addicted to drugs. Addiction is a routine of compulsive behavior (3). In addition, recovering addicts feel very restricted with freedom because they are afraid of abusing drugs again, but want to be free to do as they please at the same time (3). Addicts have a need to control everything because they fear there will be obstacles in life that they may not be able to handle (3). If addicts can find ways to deal with their problems, they may not use drugs as a way to escape reality. There are many ways for addicts to cope with life, such as, counseling, drug rehabilitation centers, family and friends support. Of the various possible causes for drug abuse, peer pressure is one of the main reasons young people indulge in recreational drugs. In fact, according to David Sheff, In a research project, Laurence Steinberg, a Tem... ... middle of paper ... ...m them (2). These doctors maintain business because the addicts keep coming back (2). In fact, some doctors, such as, dentists and family doctors, over-prescribe and do not take any responsibility for a patient becoming addicted to a drug (2). As a result, stricter laws Badgett 5 have made it more difficult for doctors to prescribe narcotics to patients and this has decreased the number of drug abusers (2). Even though medical facilities haven’t found a solution to drug abuse, there are more ways to help drug addicts to wean off of narcotics (3). Drug abuse in teens has risen tremendously in America. Although, there are many causes and effects of using drugs, there are many ways to prevent teens from doing them. Even though some teens become addicted to recreational drugs, there are many ways to treat addiction and ultimately live a healthy and stable life.
Prescription and pharmaceutical drug abuse is beginning to expand as a social issue within the United States because of the variety of drugs, their growing availability, and the social acceptance and peer pressure to uses them. Many in the workforce are suffering and failing at getting better due to the desperation driving their addiction.
To prevent juvenile drug use communities provide programs to educate parents and children. Teens how are involved in the community and sports are more likely to not do drugs. Coming from someone who has had problems with substance abuse overcoming a problem is extremely hard. However having the support of family and friends is what gives most people the encouragement to overcome their addiction.
One of the biggest factors for teens using drugs is peer pressure. The definition of peer pressure is “social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted.” The desire to fit in ensures that there is always new teens that may later become addicted. This is an important factor when it comes to drug use.
Substance addiction is becoming an epidemic. While some people can quit using a substance without any help, most people need help to their recovery. Narcotics anonymous is an important support group for our society. There are many different narcotic anonymous programs to join that have meetings throughout the week. The members of the support group all share one thing in common, they suffer from different types of chemical dependency. Members help each other because they have the same problems and worries that everyone in the room has. Though they may be struggling with different stages in their life, for the most part, they all relate to what each is going through. Just as AA, NA focuses on the 12-step program. The members of
departments began to commit to a better public health approach with numerous policy recommendations, statutory actions, public health interventions, and various laws that regulate pain management clinics being implemented. As states adapted to policy clinical guidelines for pain care and opioid prescribing, they were soon introduced to state prescription drug monitoring programs, which would ultimately discontinue prescription opioids when patients show signs of poorly controlled or no physical, functional, or improvement in opioid treatment. The implementation of drug monitoring programs decreased patients who may be at risk for drug misuse or addiction, by helping healthcare professionals to intervene at an early
Drug abuse takes an enormous toll on our society at many levels. One way to help America deal with the drug epidemic is by reducing overdose deaths by providing easy access to naloxone. This may come off as a strange way to aid and assist but it will certainly support many people who are struggling. Naloxone, immediately blocks the deadly respiratory suppression caused by heroin, methadone and narcotic pain pills and it should be made easily available to first responders, families and those dependent on narcotics and their friends. “In 2014, overdose deaths from prescription pain pills reached nearly 19,000, a more than threefold increase from 2001. Over 47,000 people total overdosed that same year.” (Sederer) This simple but effective method should be made more easily available and known to the public so lives could be saved. Overdosing and losing a friend or family member can seem like the worst thing possible and for some it is, but with naloxone, the drug abuser could have a second chance on getting help and becoming
We are in a society where we take a pill for everything, i.e., to lose weight, to get rid of a headache. Whatever we need a pill for, it is there. In United States, the abuse of painkillers and other prescription drugs has reached epidemic levels and become one of the top causes of death every year. In 2010, more than 38,000 deaths were due to overdosing. These include drugs like methadone, oxydone, or morphine. Death rates from prescription drugs were highest among people from middle-aged groups.
In the years of 2007 to 20112 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control conducted a survey on prescription drug usage. They reported that 49% of the people in the U.S. had taken at least one prescription drug in the past months, and around 22% had taken more than one prescription drug in the same time period. This percentage of people was significantly larger than the same research data founded over a decade earlier. Prescription were made for many important medicinal reasons that span in severity like: prevention and care for chronic diseases to painkillers for chronic/temporary pain. Because the use of drugs has become so widespread and easily accessible, the dangers of taking drugs that can adverse effects other than the listed side effects has increased exponentially. These adverse effects largely have to do with the netics of the person consuming the drug.
Statistics prove them wrong. When in 1960, heroin use was legalized for medical purposes, there were 68 heroin addicts and this number rose to 2000 by 1968. In early 1980’s 40 percent increase was recorded in average drug addicts. In 1982, there were 20000 drug addicts in London alone (page152, Wilson). Now if similar strategy is applied here in United States then there is no doubt that drug addicts will increase even if it is legalized only for medical purposes. Many youngsters are clean from these drugs just because they have the fear of being caught by the law enforcing agencies or they don’t have such huge amount of money to buy these drugs. If these drugs are legalized then both of the above-mentioned causes of their prohibition from drugs will vanish and there will be no one to stop them from using these
Over 23 million people who are 12 years of age and older need special care for an unlawful drug addiction, according to the 2009 Mental Health Services Administration’s survey on drug addiction. Only 2.6 million of the people who need treatment received it through a special facility (“DrugFacts: Treatment Statistics”). Drugs can have many negative effects on teens. There is a long list of reasons teens turn to drugs such as: popular media, rebellion, escape and self- medication, and peer pressure.
The more we practice an activity, the more neurons develop in order to fine-tune that activity, causing addictive behaviors to be detrimental. Adolescence in particular can be easily influenced by abusing a drug or multiple drugs. I believe this happens because teens often lack education, live in an environment where drugs are readily available, are peer-pressured, and the lack of proper growth of the frontal lobe. Many factors contribute to adolescence experimenting with drugs. As a side from being a child, the adolescence stage is of great importance.
Drug abuse has been a hot topic for our society due to how stimulants interfere with health, prosperity, and the lives of others in all nations. All drugs have the potential to be misapplied, whether obtained by prescription, over the counter, or illegally. Drug abuse is a despicable disease that affects many helpless people. Majority of those who are beset with this disease go untreated due to health insurance companies who neglect and discriminate this issue. As an outcome of missed opportunities of treatments, abusers become homeless, very ill, or even worst, death.
Peer pressure is the most well-known reason for teens to partake in substance abuse. Some may argue that teen drug abuse is highly correlated with the behavior of close friends especially when family supervision is weak. This relationship, in fact, is reciprocal: substance abusers seek out friends who engage in similar activities. Associating with drug abusers leads to increased levels of drug abuse.
Even though consuming drugs is his or her’s choices to begin with, “the brain changes that occur over time challenge an addicted person’s self-control and hamper his or her ability to resist intense impulses to take drugs” (“DrugFacts…”). Drug addiction takes a lot more than a strong will to quit, “drugs change the brain in ways that foster compulsive drug abuse, quitting is difficult, even for those who are ready to do so” (“DrugFacts…”). Treatment is the best way to help with drug addicts: “Treatment offers the best alternative for interrupting the drug/criminal justice cycle for offenders with drug problems” (Drug Addiction…). Drug addicts need time, medication, and support to prevail in the war with addiction. Some people would say that drugs are their choice so they can choose to stop, but that is not the case. In some cases people want to stop but they cannot because “drugs contain chemicals that tap into the brain’s communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. There are at least two ways that drugs cause this disruption: (1) by imitating the brain’s natural chemical messengers and (2) by overstimulating the “reward
Each day drugs make a huge impact on our generation. Throughout this topic I would like to know what causes teenagers to try illegal drugs and how impacts their lives. Drugs can affect a person in different parts of their lives. For example their education, work, personal life, and can affect the relationship with their family and friends.